Le Noir was the founder of a dynasty of French clockmakers who specialized in making movements in lavishly decorated cases for royal and aristocratic patrons from all over Europe. The case of this one, made in the Chantilly porcelain manufactory (founded ca. 1725), reflects the taste for chinoiserie, or European evocations of Chinese art, sometimes including, as on this clock, amusing figures of "Chinamen." The movement has a single train and does not strike the hours.